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ScorecardNetherlands finished third in the T20 Quadrangular, after beating South Africa Emerging Players by 42 runs in the third-place playoff on Wednesday.Batting first, Netherlands scored 206 for 5 in their 20 overs, helped by Wesley Barresi’s 45-ball 70. An 87-run stand between Tom Cooper and Barresi took the side to a strong 129 for 2 in the 13th over before Daan van Bunge and Bukhari hit a few blows to take the side past 200.In reply, South Africa Emerging recovered briefly from a bad start, as opener Cameron Delport added 58 runs for the second wicket with Khayelihle Zondo. However, that was the only substantial partnership in the South Africa innings, as the Netherlands bowlers stated their dominance with regular wickets. Delport top-scored with 65, while the next highest score for South Africa was a 20-ball 37 from Dwaine Pretorious. The Netherlands bowlers shared the wickets, with Michael Swart, Cooper and Bukhari picking up two wickets apiece.

The Titans have signed up batsman Herschelle Gibbs to boost their chances ahead of the qualifier against Warriors of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge. He will replace the New Zealand batsman Scott Styris, who is no longer available with the side.Gibbs, 39, last played in the Big Bash League, Australia’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, scoring 156 runs in nine matches at 23.25. Since last playing international cricket for South Africa in May 2010, he has been a global Twenty20 specialist, having played in various leagues around the world, including the Friends Life t20, the Champions League T20 and the Bangladesh Premier League. He played for Cape Cobras in last year’s edition of the South African T20 championship.”We have a big game coming up and I am positive [Gibbs’] experience will come in handy,” Titans coach Matthew Maynard said.The Titans will play Warriors on April 3 in the qualifier, with the winner taking on Lions in the final four days later.Gibbs will join the side at their training session at Centurion on Saturday morning.

Last year: 4th, CC Div 1; Semi-finals, T20; Semi-finals2012 in a nutshell: Such has been the success at Sussex over recent years – they had won seven major trophies in the previous decade – disappointment over a season that finished without tangible reward was inevitable. But Sussex again pressed hard in the limited-overs formats and finished above many larger clubs in the Championship. They were in a bit of trouble after winning just one of their first seven Championship games, but then threatened a top three finish before losing the last two games to slip back into mid-table. They topped their group in both the CB40 and FLt20, but lost to Yorkshire in the T20 semi-final of the T20 and Hampshire in CB40. Steve Magoffin – with 57 Championship wicket at 20.05 apiece – led the bowling manfully, supported by the decidedly sharp Jimmy Anyon and the relentless Monty Panesar. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash led the way with the bat in the Championship, with Luke Wright – who made three CB40 centuries – exceptional in limited-overs cricket. Matt Prior and Scott Styris were both excellent in T20, with Michael Yardy back to his mean best with the ball. Murray Goodwin was released at the end of the season2013 prospects: Sussex may not have the bowling depth to mount a sustained Championship challenge, but they remain a very dangerous limited-overs unit. In keeping with their reputation as a mender of broken players, they have brought in Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Jordan, two highly-talented cricketers who had lost their way a little at Surrey. Andrew Miller, a tall seamer who previously represented Warwickshire, has joined, too. But John Hastings has pulled out of his T20 contract through injury, Kirk Wernars has taken a year off to explore other career opportunities and Luke Wright will miss the start of the season on IPL duty. They will require more runs from Joe Gatting and Michael Yardy this year, while Ben Brown’s wicketkeeping also remains a work in progress. But with the likes of Nash, one of the unsung heroes of English cricket, contributing with impressive consistency, they should have enough quality to avoid relegation. Off the pitch, the club continues to be particularly well run and understand its role in the wider game under a new chief executive, Zac Toumazi.Key player: Monty Panesar. It’s not just the wickets he takes, it is his ability to perform the role of stock bowler. Should he be required by England for lengthy portions of the summer, Sussex will have a huge hole to fill.Bright young thing: Luke Wells is a batsman with a great deal going for him. Blessed with a similar temperament to Alastair Cook but, perhaps, more elegant, he seems to have the ideal game to step-up to Test cricket. A lack of limited-overs experience – he has only played one T20 and six List A games – cannot help, but this is a 22-year-old who could go a long way in the game.Captain/coach: Ed Joyce, 34, probably takes on the captaincy at an ideal stage of his career; established, experienced and with little more to prove as a player, he will be able to dedicate his energy towards the role. Mark Robinson, the head coach, will continue to coax the best out of his eclectic squad with a calm and quiet wisdom that, in a shrill world, could easily be undervalued.ESPNcricinfo verdict: Chris Adams described Sussex as the ‘benchmark team’ of the Championship; a description that makes sense: finish above them and you are challenging; finish below them and you are in trouble. They are likely to be very competitive in the limited-overs formats.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA 134-run stand between Amy Satterthwaite looked to be taking New Zealand to an easy win, but they lost seven wickets for 42 runs to fall short•Getty Images

In a day-night match rendered inconsequential as soon as West Indies surprised Australia in a morning start, England overcame a 134-run stand between Amy Satterthwaite and Suzie Bates to keep New Zealand comfortably short in a big chase. New Zealand needed 122 at a run a ball with eight wickets remaining when Bates fell, but England’s bowlers, led byJenny Gunn, kept striking even as the asking rate kept mounting. Sarah Taylor earlier rode on some let-offs to finally make some runs in the tournament after three successive ducks, and Charlotte Edwards made a half-century at the top of the order. The match held little meaning, though, as both sides went out of contention for a place in the final against Australia following West Indies’ victory.The match followed the same pattern as that in the previous two day-night games at Brabourne Stadium – the side batting first scored big runs and won. Unlike those two matches, though, New Zealand gave England more than a scare when Bates and Satterthwaite were going after the bowling. With the game dead, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, England’s Anya Shrubsole, didn’t take the field during New Zealand’s chase despite being in the XI.England began with the slow-mediums of Arran Brindle from one end and despite her having Lucy Doolan stumped down the leg side, Bates and Satterthwaite were barely troubled in motoring along at above five runs an over. Both were prolific in the region of midwicket and extra cover, with Satterthwaite hitting as many as 16 fours. Gaps were picked with ease as Bates, the tournament’s leading run-getter, found support from Satterthwaite.With lead fast bowler Katherine Brunt proving expensive, it was down to Jenny Gunn to bowl a tight spell of 10-1-26-2. Gunn also broke the partnership, having Bates bowled after the batsman moved too far across in the 30th over. Satterthwaite kept New Zealand going as she put on 51 with Sophie Devine in 11 overs. The asking-rate was just over seven at this stage when Devine heaved at left-arm spinner Holly Colvin and the wicketkeeper Taylor took the top edge.A tiring Satterthwaite struck two more boundaries to get to her century but in the 44th over, lofted the offspin of Danielle Wyatt straight to extra cover. England now closed in. Colvin, coming from over the stumps, bowled Nicola Browne round her legs on an attempted sweep. Katie Perkins heaved at Wyatt and was bowled too. The fight went out of New Zealand as they subsided to end 15 runs short.The context had gone for the players in the middle when they learnt of Australia’s defeat, which meant West Indies had entered the final. Edwards, who had added 59 upfront with Wyatt, recovered from her initial disappointment to pull authoritatively as she and Taylor added another 68.Taylor, one of the foremost talents in the game, would have made her fourth successive duck had she been taken at deep midwicket in the 18th over off Browne. She was to be caught on 69 at midwicket off a Bates no-ball. Taylor did hit some superb strokes on way to 88 off 79, showing once again why she’s highly rated. Her front-foot driving down the ground was effortless as well as commanding. Her front-foot defence was precise and assured. She stepped it up in the batting Powerplay with powerful swings over midwicket, before lofting Bates to mid-off in the 40th over.Even as England lost a few wickets, Gunn and Heather Knight propelled them well past 250 as they took 38 off the last three overs, a charge that was to push the game out of New Zealand’s reach.

ScorecardNic Maddinson scored a career-best 154 and Trent Copeland made his maiden first-class century to secure first-innings points for New South Wales in a high-scoring battle with Tasmania in Hobart. The Blues were eventually dismissed for 500 and at the close of play a draw was looming with the Tigers on 1 for 30 in their second innings, still trailing by 45 runs with Mark Cosgrove on 10 and Alex Doolan on 20.Doug Bollinger had trapped Ben Dunk lbw for a golden duck and it was one of ten wickets to fall throughout the day after New South Wales resumed in the morning at 1 for 145. Luke Butterworth moved to the top of the Sheffield Shield wicket tally for this summer with 5 for 83 – his season has now produced 30 victims at 17.53 – but he and his colleagues were unable to prevent the Blues passing Tasmania’s 425.Maddinson and Copeland combined for a 188-run sixth-wicket partnership, reminiscent of the hefty stand between Ricky Ponting and Jason Krejza for Tasmania across the first two days of the game. Maddinson had struggled for runs this season and brought up his third first-class hundred, while Copeland, who had a previous highest score of 55, managed 106 before he was lbw to Krejza.